OPBSI: Beta on the NIH DIRECTOR'S COUNCIL OF PUBLIC REPRESENTATIVES

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has selected four individuals to serve as members of the Director's Council of Public Representatives (COPR), an advisory committee to the NIH Director on issues of public importance.

"These new members bring a wealth of knowledge and professional experience in the areas of health care, medicine, under served communities, community-based research, and learning and literacy programs, along with a strong commitment to the advancement of public health and medical research. I am delighted to welcome them to the Council," said NIH Director Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D.

The new members are Syed Ahmed, M.D., M.P.H., Dr. P.H. of Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Linda Crew, M.B.A., R.N. of Clemson, South Carolina; Ann-Gel Palermo, M.P.H. of New York, New York; James Wendorf of New York, New York.

Ms. Ann-Gel S. Palermo, Spring 1997 and Sister of Omega Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., has worked in the area of community-based public health for more than seven years, with a principal focus on issues related to social determinants of health using a community-based participatory research approach. Since 1999, Ms. Palermo has served as the chair of the Harlem Community & Academic Partnership (HCAP), located at the Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies at the New York Academy of Medicine.

Ms. Palermo is the Associate Director of Operations at the Center for Multicultural and Community Affairs at New York City's Mount Sinai School of Medicine. She also serves as a board member of the East Harlem Community Health Committee and is chair of the board of directors for the Manhattan-Staten Island Area Health Education Center. Ms. Palermo is a member of the New York Academy of Medicine Institutional Review Board and the New York City HIV Health and Human Services Planning Council of New York.

New COPR members will complete the first year of their 4-year term at the next COPR meeting scheduled April 19-20, 2007. The meeting will highlight topics such as NIH Director Updates, Public Member Participation in Research, and other Director's Council Member reports. Dr. Zerhouni will chair the meeting.

The COPR brings important matters of public interest forward for discussion and advises and assists in enhancing public participation in NIH activities and in increasing public understanding of NIH. Additional information is available at <>www.getinvolved.nih.gov.

The Office of the Director, the central office at NIH, is responsible for setting policy for NIH, which includes 27 Institutes and Centers. This involves planning, managing, and coordinating the programs and activities of all NIH components. The Office of the Director also includes program offices which are responsible for stimulating specific areas of research throughout NIH. Additional information is available at <>www.nih.gov/icd/od/.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) -- "The Nation's Medical Research Agency" -- includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit <>www.nih.gov.

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